"My name means 'power' in Zulu, and Ubuntu is a South African organization. They contacted me because of my name and explained to me what the organization did, and I was really impressed. Ubuntu focuses on helping a specific group of 2,000 children so that the organization can make sure that it has a deep impact. Ubuntu provides healthcare, education, scholarships, and afterschool programs. I just hosted the gala in New York, which kicked off Ubuntu's mission to raise 30 million dollars in the next three years."

Photo of Amandla at the gala (Press Play Productions)

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The thirteen-year-old actress, who played Rue in The Hunger Games, is working with an organization that provides health and educational support to children in South Africa.

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"I would love to go to South Africa to see how Ubuntu is working with the kids and meet them myself. I had the opportunity to Skype with a girl that Ubuntu works with, and she was incredibly bright and really funny. She has such big dreams and wants to be a director—I think it would be incredible if one day she got to direct me. I'm glad that Ubuntu has given her the opportunity to really thrive."

"If you're really passionate about a cause, you'll work hard enough so that you can balance everything and make time for it. I make sure that I have time to finish all my schoolwork, hang out with my friends and be a normal kid, and act during the summers. It's about compromising and working hard. A little bit of work goes a long way."

Photo of Amanda with Ubuntu Founder and President Jacob Lief (Neil Rasmus/BFAnyc.com)

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"I want to continue working with Ubuntu and hopefully bring as much awareness to the organization as possible. People often push these issues to the back of their minds and try not to talk about them. Ubuntu is starting small and focusing on this one group of people, and I think it sets an example for everyone else. The organization can become bigger and bigger, and really affect South Africa as a whole."

Photo of Amandla in the Teen Vogue office (Virginia Nam)

My Life

Giving Back: Amandla Stenberg and the Ubuntu Education Fund

The thirteen-year-old actress, who played Rue in The Hunger Games, is working with an organization that provides health and educational support to children in South Africa.

CAUSE: The Ubuntu Education Fund doesn't focus on how many children it can reach, but how deeply it can reach one child. The grassroots organization focuses its efforts on Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and is helping over 2,000 children escape poverty through its medical, health, educational, and social efforts.

EFFECT: Through a study with McKinsey & Company, Ubuntu found that 72 percent of children impacted by Ubuntu pass their Grade 12 exams, while only 37 percent of students in community schools pass.